Means for opening and loading carton blanks on the conveyer of a packaging machine



2 w m NBS June 24, 1952 v. G. WILLIAMS MEANS FOR OPENING AND LOADINGCARTON BLA ON THE CONVEYER OF A PACKAGING MACHIN Filed Feb 28,1949

I IKJ 0 I! 2 2 1 M a b e 0 III I 1 mm a 1 M 1 l H .H w I l 2 mm 2 l I 3M 4 o "0 II II 4 H 5 l INVENTOR VGWILLIHMS HTTORNEX June 24-, 1952 vwlLLlAMS 2,601,481

MEANS FOR OPENING AND LOADING CARTON BLANK-S ON THE CONVEYER OF APACKAGING MACHINE Filed Feb. 28, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 26 I4 I; I I l II 25 29 I9 F I E E:@ I i 5 i 10'- 27 28 I7 (:ZM Z l1 /2 INVENTOHVGWILL/AMS 5'20 Mam H TTORNEX June 24, 1952 v w s 2,601,481

MEANS FOR OPENING AND LOADING CARTON BLANKS ON THE CQNVEYER OF APACKAGING MACHINE Filed Feb. 28, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR 25vawlLLmms on fl ATTORNEY.

June 24, 1952 v G, w L 2,601,481

MEANS FOR OPENING AND LOADING CARTON BLANKS ON THE CONVEYER' OF APACKAGING MACHINE Filed Feb. 28, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVE'NTDRVGWILLIAMS ATTORNEY June 24, 1952 v, w 5 "2,601,481

' MEANS FOR OPENING AND LOADING CARTON BLANKS ON THE CONVEYER OF APACKAGING MACHINE v FilEd Feb. 28, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR V. G.WILLIAMS.

ATTORNEY Patented June 24, 1952 MEANS FOR OPENING AND LOADING CAR- TONBLANKS ON THE CONVEYER OF A PACKAGING MACHINE Victor George Williams,Toronto, Ontario, Canada, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Delamere &Williams Company Limited, Toronto,

Ontario, Canada Application February 28, 1949, Serial No. 78,788

The invention related to new and useful immovements in carton feedingmechanism for high-speed automatic packaging machines; such mechanismbeing required to transfer cartons from an adjacent magazineto theconveyor of a packaging machine and co-incidentally to open them forfillin purposes; they being originally supplied in the conventionalcollapsed or folded form.

Packaging machines have had heretofore to be run below peak efficiencybecause hitherto available carton feedin mechanisms were incapable ofoperating safely at high speeds. In most cases this was due to theemployment of reciprocating elements therein which had to be returned toneutral position after each carton was loaded on the conveyor. Inaddition thereto,

such hitherto available mechanisms were also,

Having regard thereto, the foremost object of the invention is toprovide mechanism capable of feeding cartons to the conveyor of apackaging machine at a higher rate of speed than was hitherto attainableand to do so without endangering the cartons.

It is also an important object of the invention to provide mechanism ofthe character described which is of simple and economical constructionand substantially fool-proof and efficient in operation.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide such mechanismwherefrom the use of reciprocatin elements and their attendantdisadvantages are substantially eliminated.

The structure designed to serve the foregoing purposes is based on anovel method of handling cartons which also constitutes one of theobjects of the invention.

Other objects will appear from the hereinafter following description ofthe elements, parts and principles constituting the invention, whereof aselected embodiment is illustrated, by way of example only, in theannexed drawings, wherein;

Fig. 1 is a substantially schematic view of the invention in plan andincludes fragmentary portions of a packaging machine,

Fig. 2-a plan view of a part of the conveyor of the packaging machineduring a stage in the loading of a carton thereon,

Fig. 3--a schematic plan view of the invention at a stage in theoperation thereof,

Fig. 4--a schematic plan view of the invention and the conveyor during astage in the operation thereof,

6 Claims. (Cl. 93-53) Fig. 5-an elevatlonal view of the invention asshown in Fig. 1, with certain parts broken away.

Fig. 6-a view corresponding to Fig. 2 .at a preceding operative stage,

Fig. 'I-an enlarged plan view of a detail of the invention,

Fig. 8-a view corresponding to and showing the structure of Figs. 2and 6at an intermediate operative stage,

Fig. 9-a schematic view of the paths followed by certain parts of theinvention,

Fig. 10-a section along the line X--X of Fig. 11,

Fig. 1la section along the line XI-XI of Fig. 12,

Fig. 12an enlarged perspective view of one assembly of the invention,

Fig. 13a perspective view of the collapsed carton visualized by theinvention,

Fig. i l-a perspective view of theexpa'nded In all of the foregoingviews, like parts of the invention are identified by likereferencedevices.

While the invention is adaptable for use with practically any packagingmachine now known, that disclosed in U. S. 1,527,030 to R. D. Delamereand the instant applicant is herein selected for examplary purposes.This machine includes a conveyor 0 generally consisting of an endlessbelt I arranged to travel in a horizontal plane around a pair of spacedpulleys whereof one is shown fragmentarily at 2 in the drawing. The beltI carries a series of regularly spaced fins 3 projecting radiallytherefrom which definestalls 4 fo the cartons 5.

The cartons 5, hereby visualized, are of a wellknown type including atubular body portion divided by axial score-lines into a four-walledstructure. The said score-lines being also capable of functioning ashinges, the said structure may thus be selectively collapsed into a flatparcel for delivery purposes or expanded into a rectangular containerfor filling purposes. For the sake of clarity, the collapsed orflattened carton will hereinafter be referred to as the blank 5'.

In this embodiment of the invention the magazine M, wherein the blanks 5are stored, is shaped somewhat like a chute and is positioned on a levelwith and facing the belt I where it rounds the pulley 2. Verticallyinterposed therebetween is a hollow rotatable column In with a radiallyprojecting arm I I on whose extremity is pivotally mounted the elbow ofa bell crank l2 having a cam follower l3 at one end, a suctioncup H atthe other end, and a tension spring I5 are not entirely circular incontour.

also interconnected to the arm I: to urge the cam follower I3 intocontact with a fixed cam l6 mounted over the column l8 whose functionwill be duly described.

The parts are so constituted and spaced that the terminal blank in themagazine M is adapted to be seized by the suction cup I4 and to betransported thereby through a 180 arc to a point where its leading edgeI! meets and enters into the angle formed by the belt I and an on thecolumn approaching fin 3 while its trailing edge is more or lesssimultaneously engaged by a revolving claw I9 substantially as shown byFig. 1 of the drawings. The interception of the blank 5 by the fin 3 andthe claw I9 is timed to occur while these parts are approaching eachother. Thus the blank 5 is thereafter squeezed open in the manner shownprogressively by Figs. 6 and 8 of the drawing; the claw I9 alsoco-incidentally pressing the blank 5, now the carton 5, into the stall4'formed by the said fi-n 3 and its immediat predecessorfin 3'.

The foregoing action is schematically illu..- trated in Fig. 9 whereinPI denotes the path of the leading edge I! on its journey from themagazine M to the conveyor C, P2 the pathof the trailing :edge I8, andP3 the path of the claw It.

As will be'seen therein, the paths Pi and P2 This eiiect is'manifestlyachieved by the use of the fixed cam I6 and is necessitated by severalfactors. For example, when the leading edge ll enters the fin orbit P4(Fig. 9) it is exposed to collision with the fin 3 at the point Xunless, as is done in this instance, the blank 5 is rotated slightly toavoid such collision. Similarly, as is best shown in 4, when a blank 5is removed and being carried away from the magazine M, its trailing edgei8 will tend to bear rather heavily and may even crease against theremaining blanks 5 unless it, too, issuitably rotated. However, suchrotation, in this instance, is not the only means utilized forprecluding the creasing of blanks 5'; the'suction cupll being alsoyieldable on the bell crank l2 for this purpose.

The contour of the fixed cam E6 is governed by other considerations aswell as the foregoing. For example, it guides the suction cup i l on itsreturn to the magazine M for" another blank 5 and ensures positive andintimate connection therebetween at the proper place and time. However,in this instance, the said fixed cam I'd is not by itself capable ofprocuring the withdrawal of the blank 5' from the magazine M in therequisite manner. As will be seen, the edges of the magazine M at itsdischarge end are slightly inturned to form blank retaining lips 21-21,past'which each blank 5' has initially to be more or less axiallypulled. For'thisspecific purpose, the invention contemplates a secondcam 22 oscillably mounted over the column In and adapted to apply adirect thrust to the cam-follower I3 whereby to displace it with respectto the fixed cam I6 and thus rock its associated bell crank I2 so as tocause the leading edge H, at least,of a blank 5' to be withdrawn fromthe magazine M past the adjacent lip 2| in the manner-illustrated byFig. 3 of the drawings The oscillable cam 22 is motivated.

by a connecting rod 23 attached to one end of an .intermediately'pivoted lever 24, whose other end. also. carries a cam follower 25 inassociation with a cam 25 rotating with the spindle 2? which carries thefinger 28 terminating in the said In order to simplify the foregoingportion of this disclosure, mention was omitted of the fact that thecolumn Ill carries three other arms, namely Ila, llb, He, in addition tothat first described; all four arms being identical to each other,similarly equipped with blank seizing apparatus, and being positioned atthe same height 18 although regularly spaced apart. Thus it will beseen(in Fig. 1) that when the arm I lb (and its equipment) is in blankseizing position, the arm He will be substantially midway between themagazine M and conveyor C, while arm II will be transferring its blank5' to the said conveyor C and arm Ila will be en route back to themagazine M for another blank 5.

It should also have been heretofore stated that the column I0 may berotated intermittently instead of continuously by the so-called internalGeneva movement G of Fig. 5 by which it is driven. In that case, thecolumn Ill may be halted after each turn for a short period during whichthe claw l9 moves from the position of Fig. 1 to the position of Fig. 8in which lattercase its associated rotating cam 26 will trip the lever24 to institute the train of action culminating in the'withdrawal of ablank '5 from the magazine M; this occurring substantially.co-incidentally with the resumption of movement by the column it. Thusit will be apparent that each quarter-turn of the said column I0 willposition one blank 5' for-transferto the conveyor C, at a commensuraterate, while. another blank 5 is prepared for removal from the magazineM. Similarly one complete rotation of'the column lil will procure thesuccessive placement offour blanks 5' on the conveyor C; the claw l9revolving at a commensurate rate of speed.

In addition to those noted above, several other details of the inventionwere heretofore omitted for the sake of simplicity. For example, thearms II, Ila, llb and Ho each have a lower, similarly numbered,counterpart arm with which it is vertically aligned and which carriessubstantially the same equipment namely: bell crank I2 and suction cup Il.

30 by which it is linked to its upper counterpart whereby the two areadapted to co-act in unison. Incidentally, the spacing of the upper andlower arms I l-l I is such that their suction cups I4-I 4 respectivelygrasp the upper and lower portionsof the blank 5 and also such as toenable a fin 3 to pass therebetween for reasons which will be ob-" viouson examination of Fig. 1. Likewise, the claw l9 and its associatedfinger 23 are duplicated at a lower level on the. spindle 21; they beingalso spaced to pass'the guard rail 3| which maintains the cartons 5 intheir stalls 4 after the release thereof by the claw I9.

Some mention should also be made of the herein visualized yieldablemounting of the suction cup M on the bell crank I2. As is best shown inFig. 16, the normally round stem 35 of the suction cup I4 has aflattened seat 36 for the bell crank- The wall 3? of the seat 36 is madediagonal to limit the swivable scope of the suction cup I4 on the bellcrank I2 while a tension spring 38 resiliently maintains it in theposition required for the initial seizing of a blank 5 and the subsequent presentation thereof to the conveyor C. Although it waspreviously stated that the swivabilityof the suction cup I4 was providedin order to avoid creasing the blank 5' while it is being removed fromthe magazine M, as illustrated in Instead of a cam follower I3; however,each lower bell crank [2 has a pillar.

Fig. 4, it serves a further useful purpose when the suction cup l4releases the blank 5' following its delivery to the conveyor 3.

Also remaining to be described is the presently contemplated means forapplying suction to the suction cups 14. As is best seen from Figs. and11, the column 19 is fitted with a stationary sleeve 46 which is closedat its upper end and adapted to be connected by its lower end to asuitable vacuum source which is not illustrated in the drawings. A valveis provided at a suitable height thereon, consisting of a semi-circularslot 42 cut into the sleeve 49; the height of the slot 42 correspondingsubstantially to the height at which communicating ports 43 are formedin the column I9. Each port 43 terminates in a Y-coupling to which eachpair of suction cups 14-44 are connected by the tubes 44. Thus by aproper positioning of the sleeve 40 in the column 10, suction may beapplied to the suction cups 14 when they are required to hold or graspoartons and relieved when they are required to release the same, orwhile each is en route back to the magazine or for another blank 5'.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Mechanism for transferring cartons from a magazine to a conveyorhaving fins including a column; a bell crank pivotally carried thereby;a cam associated with the column; carton seizing means carried at oneend of the bell crank and a cam-follower at the other end in engagementwith the said cam; means for moving the said column to present theseizing means to one of the cartons in the magazine and thence totransport the said carton to the conveyor during which transportationthe said cam follower and bell crank are guided by the said cam torotate the carton from time to time whereby to avoid obstacles in itspath and to position it in intercepting relation to one of the conveyorfins, and a member adapted to cooperate with the said fin in theengagement and opening of the carton and, coincidentally, to wedge thecarton between two adjacent fins.

2. Mechanism for transferring cartons from a magazine to a conveyorhaving fins including, a column; carton seizing means carried thereby;means for moving the column to present the seizing means to one of thecartons in the magazine and thence to position the seized carton inintercepting relation to one of the conveyor fins; a second cartonseizing means carried by the column being so disposed thereon as to bepresented to the magazine when the first carton is positioned relativeto the said conveyor fin as aforesaid; a member adapted to cooperatewith the said fin in the engagement and opening of the said carton and,coincidentally, to wedge the carton between two adjacent fins; anelement capable of acting on the second carton seizing means forprocuring the withdrawal of a second carton from the magazine, and meansassociated with the said co-operating member for motivating said elementcontemporaneously with the installation of the first carton on theconveyor.

3. Mechanism for opening flattened cartons comprising, a magazine forsaid flattened cartons, a continuously moving flexible endless conveyorhaving spaced fins defining pockets approximately the size of an opencarton, rotatably mounted moveable means for seizing one of the cartonsin said magazine and for bodily supporting and transporting the same,along a curved path, to a position where one folded edge of saidflattened carton intercepts a fin on said conveyor, a moveable memberoperable in timed relation to said moveable means arranged to engage theopposite folded edge of said carton as said one folded edge engages afin and to press said carton edgewise toward said fin to open saidcarton, and means for thereafter causing said moveable means to releasesaid carton to said conveyor.

4. Mechanism as defined in claim 3 wherein said moveable means ismounted for orbital movement along a non-circular path to facilitatemovement of said one folded edge into a space between adjacent fins onsaid conveyor.

5. Mechanism as defined in claim 3 wherein said moveable means iscarried by a rotatable column, and means for intermittently rotatingsaid column to position said moveable means.

successively at said magazine and adjacent said conveyor.

6. Mechanism as defined in claim 3 wherein said moveable means comprisesa carton seizing structure mounted on a rotatably mounted support foryieldable limited rotation thereon whereby to yield to pressure appliedthereto by said carton during movement to said conveyor and engagementtherewith.

VICTOR GEORGE WILLIAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,527,030 Delamere et a1 Feb. 17,1925 2,217,784. Bennett et al. Oct. 15, 1940 2,318,208 First et al. May4, 1943

